Speaking of birthday parties...

In the previous post I wrote of the goody bags at Jamie's party. Our friends graciously allowed us to use their home for the party, so we enjoyed the playset and pool as easy entertainment. (Refreshing, too, as the temps were in the 90's with high humidity.) Here are some photos for those of you who couldn't make it. More HERE.

The circus is in town!

This past weekend we hosted Jamie's birthday party. As many of you know, children's parties are full of gifts going back and forth - presents for the birthday child, goody bags for the guests. While out looking for things to put in the goody bags, we ran across a bag of small animals at the thrift store. (Don't look so surprised! There are often leftover party supplies sold there!) Some of the animals were gleaned for a certain person's creche, but the smaller ones that wouldn't fit appropriately have been accepted as toys. I think they might have been intended for a model train set up or something else similar. The animals are tiny! (For size comparison I put a quarter in each picture.) Not bad for 40 cents...

Our hero

We were in Norwalk this past weekend, and Jim used some of his time to go through his boxes in Mom's basement. There was a lot of stuff that didn't need to be stored anymore, but some that did get saved. Some came home with us, and some will come home with us next time we travel out to Ohio.
Of the few items that came home I chose to post this photo. It's a classic.

Happy Father's Day

to one of Jamie's "favorite guys"!

If God is not in control...

QUESTION:
what would happen if, as the Bible states occured, "the sun and the moon stood still in the sky?"

ANSWER:
If the sun stood still, the implication would be that the earth had stopped rotating on its axis; this would imply a large tangential acceleration during the short time when the earth stopped rotating during which catostrophic things would happen (like big buildings falling over). Since the main observed "motion" of the moon is also due to the earth's rotation, the answer would be the same for its stopping. If we meant the moon stopped in its orbit, then it would fall to the earth.

from www.askthephysicist.com

Chimneys, natural and unnatural

On our vacation we stopped by the Natural Chimneys. The first thing we noticed when we pulled into the parking lot was the very unnatural chimney in sight. Apparently there had been a home there once, and all that remained was the chimney and patio. We couldn't resist the photo op.











The actual Natural Chimneys are not too far from the parking lot. Once you pass a few buildings the park opens up to reveal the large rock towers. You can enjoy them from the open field, hike through the woods around them, and you can visit some of the "caves."








Nearby is a river that also has a hiking path, but the water was flowing too quickly for us to cool off our feet. We sat in the sun by the edge, though, and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Handiwork

Everyone has a different set of skills and gifts. As parents, we try to discover our children's talents, and help them to grow in their ability to use them. Jamie happens to like to make and fix things. Unfortunately for him, Jim is not the type that does DIY for a hobby. It's not something he really enjoys. And Grandpa lives too far away... Thankfully we have some very nice friends. They invited Dot and Jamie over on a Saturday morning to make birdhouses. The pieces of wood were cut out, but the kids were able to sand, drill out the entrance hole, and nail the house together. (They used a nail gun! Okay, so they just pulled the trigger while Mr. G held the actual gun...) They proudly brought the houses home to paint and decorate. We have finally gotten them finished, and now they hang waiting for a tenant.